National Republican., 1887-03-01
American Rip Guns.

american big Guns.
EDITOR NATIONAL REPUBLICAN,: The House
military committee has been furnished by a
young officer in the ordnance office with ser.
tain data relative to cast.iron guns, with the
intention of discrediting the claims for a fair
trial OF American gun metal cast into guns by
the improved Rodman process. II is difficult
to believe that, whatever the temptation
to pre- judice the committee, this Information
was furnished in the same shape as IL appears
In the New York Herald. Still. we are obliged
TO take the data as we find 1t tpubished, though
in this shape it might be characterized as
rather an attempt to deceive than to en-.
tighten the committee.
In the first place 1t should be remarked that
the Parrot and Dahlgren rifles of n quarter
of century ago had nothing in com mon with
the Rodman system aud have still less TO do
VIII With i, the cast.iron guns as % mapufac.urSd now;
of its heavy. wrought-iron re-enforce baud
and many failed in service for this reason, aui
no one has advocated the manufacture
while the Dahlgren rifle was an experimental
gun, made during the war. No one was ever
adopted, aud the United States navy has no
such, gun in service. Although tempted to
dwell upon the admirable endurance of many
| OF these guns, yet as their failures (under
ordea,s, the severity Of which has b.en Goa,
In to swell the SMALLEST OF failures of the
Rodman guns, We Will pass them over and
touch only upon what Is relevant. The state
| ment in the Herald reads referring to cast
| iron guns which have Jailed
"Rodman guns-four Pinch rifles, twD s.
inch rifles, seventeen smooth.eore navy and
This reference TO smooth.bo guns is not
undt trstood, but II 1t means that seventeen Is
then it is false, and It is unfortunate If the da;a
| furnished the committee is in snch shape as to
lead TO such an impression. Out of hundreds
| OF Rodman smooth bores none have failed in
| service in either the army or navy, aud the
| TWO or three which have been destroyed in the
course of experiments have shown great en-
| durance. As to these 10 inch guns, the more
impartial verdict is that OF the present chief of
| ordnance, in his annual report as late as 1888,
| when, in view OF the previous long records OF
endurance of this gun under the heavy strains
Of former usage, he ordered gun to be fired
100 times with $50 pounds charge, and then
saws:
pear from the report of its trial with steel and
chilled east-iron spherical proiectiles against
srmor plates (see appendix 36). % Witha
charge of 100 pounds ofpowder and 450pound
shot, the penetrating power was 10 inches of
iron 1T 1000 yards, showing that with our i'm
proved powders the projectile energy of this
| gun has been largely increased, and renders 1t
not only efficient for secondary purposes, but
important harbors"
Since this report of the chief of ordnance the
same gun has been fired some 800 additional
rounds with same charges and is still in SER
viceable condition.
failures of the cast.iron l5-inch Rodman guns
are all imaginary. and measured by this
standard the rest OF the paragraph might be
dismissed as unworthy of notice. but although
the inference conveyed by the paragraph is a
false one, since the record of these guns is not
given, 1t is perhaps as well to refer TO the rlfed
supposed 10 last forever-show the record OF
these few cast iron guns. The four l2-inch
rifles there mentioned were the only ones of
the kind ever made; they were purely expert
mental, and were abused in experimenting
with powder and projectiles, and 1t was IN
reference to them that GET. Rodman remarked
ttfNTNE
full rifle until suitable proJectile was obtalned
which would act uniformly. These l2inch
cast-iIon rifles We're but twenty.four tons
weight, 1. e., about haD ne ,reilM Of The present
stett guns n Eke cdlibCr One Of them endured
4T6 rounds and many heavy strains. The other
guns , were wedged open BY the prolec lie
after time, with resulting strains and powder
pressures too violent for the instruments to
record, but estimated in number of instances
| at 100000 pounds per square inch. The firing
| reports clearly show this If frankly exhi 1ited
Passing next to the two inch rifles cited
: a failing, no mention is made of the fact that
| one Oi them reached the great record OF lOl1
rounds, and was subjected almost constantly
10 two and three times the powder pressnres
apd strains enconn'errd by the so;called
mention made of the other gun being ribbed
instead Of riiled, the projectiles being raed
instead Of the gun, under which system it en-.
dured eighty eight great strains. Nor Is any
| me ntion made, because II did not burst, of ar
r s-inch rifle. the mate 10 the first gun: which
| mas enuure0 tnrOngn Sol ROUNDS Inc lOliOWlng
powder stresses which will be better appreci
aied when y Is remembered that a pressure o
SOoGN pounds per square inch Is deemed quite
sufficient for the modern high power gun
$50 times the pressure exceeded 10000 plund
per square inch, 462 exceeded 40 900. 225 OK
esedSd 1900 isl ed 6 Co. OOO no exceeded
, ceeded $4,000; aud yet these guns weighed
only seven and one-half tons, or little NOR
, than half as much as the steel guns of to day
| N mr.
sure per square inch.
Space will not admit of the long list o
American cast guns of great endurance. Col
: 7. T. S. Laidey, late senior colonel of th
: ordnance department, and who, af,er Rodman
was the highest authority on this question
Q made strong appeal for the thorough test O
amount Of data which proved conc'usivel
that the Rodman, guns, whether as smooth
hores or niles. had endured successfully
8 through hundreds OF rounds, strains greatly Il
excess of those which the so.called thigh
: power guns, of to-day are called upon T.
I endure. And indeed, II the pressure in tn
=, bore of cast iron guns is to be restricted t
i 30000 pounds, the "factor of safety" would ap
: pear TO be ample, for 1t should take at leas
e three times this pressure To burst the gun an
American gun metal is known to be susceptibl
of sustaining many repetitions of strains nea
to its ultimate strength.
The cast-iron rifle at Sandy Hook has beer
fred more than l00 rounds with charges tn !
q would put twelve-inCh hole through twent
!, inches of iron at a milo distance She we r5
q |
II refuse a fair trial 10 an American gan tha
: shows such pos as ths-a power that wou
G sink most ironclads now atl6at at n mile dis
/. tHnce? Shall we not make duplicates Of thi
a gun, which promises to fill so pressing need
!, And shall we not make similar guns of OthC
. sizes foi trial? We are not opposing steel nc
I, cndeayoring to deprive the young gentleme
d in the ordnance office from the amusement {
d 'gun-desicning." We would like 10 sec Ill
eral appropriations for steel, and the range
its application wldened for general OrdnanC
urposCs, but we desire to say that II cast-iro
rifles nre TO be refused n trial. and II built.u
seel guns are to be adopted without a tria
this action will be brought about not by ii
10 merits of the case, but by designing otficla
20 and influential men, who, availing themselvt
. of the unthinking popular prejudice In fay'
: of EurOpeon methods and by reason OF III
1f ideal character which naturally we give to III
a. familiar things, are able to keep down II
merits end 10 lit up the policy that makes #
Z. their interest.
K South BOSTON Iron WORKS,
y WM, p. HUNT, President
|